Hi everyone,
I’m going through an install of my instruments. I was wondering what third party mix/master plugins, and virtual instruments work well with Cubase 12 for yourself? I’m talking in terms of CPU, barely any crashes or issues. Just from your experiences so far. Thanks.
I don’t think it is possible to give a general recommendation, especially regarding stability and issues, as that depends very much on your system, what CPU you have, what operating system you use (Mac? PC?) and which version, maybe what graphic adapter you have and possibly even down to the driver version. Lots of variables there.
I would generally say that in case of bugs my experience is that you are better off with software from smaller developers as they tend to be more responsive than some big companies and you are sometimes in direct contact with the developer, but there are exceptions.
I would say just look for plugins and instruments that you like (sound and workflow wise) and try the demo version if it runs smoothly on your system.
And if you just want some recommendations as a starting point, you might want to provide some more clues what you are looking for, e.g. analogue emulations of vintage gears or modern mixing tools, virtual synthesizers or “real” sampled instruments, and so on.
I only use Acustica Audio , SSL, Waves and PA they all play nicely on my 9 year old machine with C12 , i have to be a bit choosey which AA’s i use and when , but , no issues at all .
Had the same Operating system for 9 years , just updating , no clean install but with this machine being a 'Steinberg only ’ machine it’s still like new in performance
I’ve seen them get a lot of stick, but the IK Multimedia stuff works really well for me in Cubase, and they’re all scaleable UI which is a massive bonus running on a HiDPI display. It makes them so much easier to navigate and use.
Never had a problem with mixbox or the t-racks stuff, and definetly CPU friendly, in fact IK Mixbox on all my new audio tracks as part of a preset track type.
I’ve developed a strong habit of generally focusing on plug-ins that are cross-platform, DAW-independent, and well supported because people are who are spending thousands of dollars on any of these products deserve to get what they’re paying for - this applies to DAWs as well.
I’ve also focused almost solely on VST3 plugins over the last 5 years.
I’ve had solid success using both VST2 and VST3 versions of FabFilter, iZotope, and Waves plugins for mixing/mastering across many versions of most popular DAWs, including Renoise (but of course, Ableton, Cubase, Reaper, BitWig, Maschine, and FL Studio, among others).
I greatly prefer FabFilter’s licensing model over all of these, though iZotope’s is very reasonable. Waves has amazing products, but a debilitating licensing model. I have experienced problems installing with iZotope’s products in a couple of cases, but support does try to help and not leave you in the dark. I don’t think I’ve ever had problems with FabFilter in almost any aspect, they’ve been solid for me.
I generally find both FabFilter and Waves plug-ins from this list to be more performant, and iZotope’s a little more intensive because they often take a full-channel approach with significant coloring options, and also multi-track audio analysis functionality. FabFilter is generally very focused and great with side-chaining performance.
I’ll add that while I’ve used others, over time I’ve come to avoid amalgamated- or semi-modular-style product solutions like Melda or Kiloharts. I’ve not had any specific problems with either of these, and actually love some individual components a lot. I’m just not a big fan of the particular marketing/update/coupled nature of them. No doubt just preference.